Immortality
by twin-v
Summary: Of all the stupid things for Draco to risk his life on, it just had to be immortality.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The fic was inspired by Celine Dion's song _Immortality_.

**Authors' notes:** Dedicated to the shippers of L&L! glomps

"I'll go."

All heads turned to look at the brave and foolish person who uttered these words. The speaker, Draco Malfoy, looked each of them in the eye, each of them except one particular girl. This girl, Hermione Granger, was staring at him in shock, betrayal and confusion etched on her face.

"You do understand, Mr. Malfoy, that this mission-" The old man at the head of the table, Professor Dumbledore, was cut off by Draco.

"I know it's incredibly risky, probably on the borderline of stupid, but Voldemort has a prophecy and we need to get it!"

Dumbledore rubbed his weathered face as he elapsed into thought. Eventually, he said, "we do not know what is in that prophecy. It is possible that it will help us win the war, and yet it is possible that it will not be of any help at all."

"Voldemort seems to think it is of great importance," the younger man insisted. He still stubbornly avoided Hermione's eyes.

"And do you think it is so important that you will risk your life for it?" Dumbledore persisted.

It took Draco a while to reply, but when he did, he said "yes."

Harry Potter, seated on Draco's left, turned to Draco and snapped, "and what of Hermione?"

This time all heads swerved towards Hermione, who had dropped her gaze. "I know it is risky, but there is still a chance that the mission will succeed," Draco said in a tight voice. "As of what happens between Hermione and I, it is for the two of us to discuss, and therefore, none of your business, Potter."

"Very well," Dumbledore consented. "I suppose we should vote on the matter. All who object Mr. Malfoy's offer to attempt to copy Voldemort's prophecy?"

Only three of the twenty people in the room raised their hands- Harry, Ron Weasley and Molly Weasley. All three of them did so because they knew that Hermione objected, although the young woman tried to mask it behind her courage. She looked coolly at Draco, who once again avoided her gaze.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "It is decided, then, that Mr. Malfoy will undertake the mission. Mr. Malfoy, will you be ready by tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, let's discuss the plan now, then."

The members of the Order of the Phoenix talked for hours, trying to give Draco the best possible chance of survival. There was not really much the Order could do to plan, so most of the discussion was what Draco should say, and tips on how Draco should act. Draco himself tried to forget how risky the situation really was. It hadn't been a year ago that Severus Snape had been killed, after Voldemort had caught and punished him for being a spy. Draco had then taken Snape's position, but it looked like the Order of the Phoenix was going to lose another of its spies.

Once, two hours into the discussion, Draco made the mistake of inadvertently glancing at Hermione. Her face was still pale, and she was biting her lip, looking like she was fighting back tears. And if Draco wasn't already feeling bad about what he was going to do, looking at her made him feel worse. He accidentally dropped his quill, and, bending to retrieve it saw that Hermione was tightly clutching both of Ron's hands in her own for comfort. It wasn't the first time that night that Draco regretted his decision, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

The meeting ended shortly before midnight. The members of the Order filed out, clapping Draco on the back before leaving and wishing him good luck. Draco could only nod and thank them, waiting for everyone to leave so that he could talk to Hermione.

Harry, who had been talking to Hermione, kissed her cheek and went over to Draco. "Malfoy," he said, pushing his glasses up, "just do your best tomorrow. Don't take unnecessary risks."

Draco nodded. "I wouldn't dream of it."

The other man hesitated, then shook Draco's hand. "Good luck."

"Thanks Potter."

Harry nodded and left. Ron, after a look at Hermione, left also, bidding Draco good luck as well before leaving. The blond wizard was positive he saw the marks of Hermione's fingernails on Ron's hands. Draco waited for Hermione by the door. She was taking her time gathering her things, and Draco didn't mind. He didn't know what to say to her anyway.

"So you really want to do this?" Hermione picked up her bag and walked over to him.

Draco swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and nodded. "I have to."

"Why?" she asked sharply, as the two of them left the room. Hermione then performed a spell to lock the door. "To prove that you're the best? That you're not afraid?" her voice was laced with scorn, but he knew it was only concern that made her act like that.

"Because I _can_," he told her, looking down at her. "No one else has a better chance than I do. Any one else would be killed before you could say 'Death Eater'."

Hermione sighed. "Let's go to my house and talk about it there." Draco agreed, and the next second both of them had Apparated into Hermione's living room.

"You were saying?" she prompted, sitting down on the couch, looking tired.

"I was saying, I have the best chance out of everyone. And if someone's going to have to risk his life, then at least it should be the person with the least risk."

"But we might not even need the prophesy," she protested. "Dumbledore wouldn't have sent anyone if you hadn't volunteered. We might be able to win the war without it."

"Yes, and we might all die without it as well." Draco sat down on the opposite end of the couch, and faced her, looking serious. "This could help us. I'm determined to do my part for the Order."

"You have done your part. You've done more than your part! Do you want me to list down how many lives we've saved since you joined?" Hermione was about to start listing them down, but then a thought struck her. "What's in it for you?"

"What?"

"What's in it for you?" she repeated. "Don't think I don't know you that well. I know you never do anything if you don't get something in return."

"Nothing's in it for me. I'm doing this because I want to."

Hermione looked disbelieving. "If you're going to leave me, then I want to know the reason."

Draco exhaled deeply. "Fine. I'll tell you, but don't think it's stupid."

"I won't."

"Immortality."

"Pardon?"

"Immortality," he said again, making sure she heard.

"How would doing this make you immortal?" Hermione asked, frowning. Of all the stupid things for Draco to risk his life on, it had to be immortality.

"If I do this, no one will ever forget me. Everyone will think I did such a great thing, whether I live through it or not. Do you understand? I'll never be forgotten."

"Remember Theodore Nott? Wasn't he chasing immortality too? Look where that got him- dead, and probably rotting in hell to boot."

"That's different," Draco insisted. "He wanted everlasting life, but he didn't even have a reason to just live."

"And you do?"

"Yes, and it will be that reason that stops me from giving up."

"Fine. What's this reason that you have and Nott didn't?"

"You. He didn't love anyone. He had no one to live for. But I know you'll never forgive me if I don't come through this one alive."

"I won't be able to help you out there," Hermione whispered, brushing away the tears that were finally starting to fall.

"I can do this on my own," he told her firmly. "I know I can. It's like my destiny, as crazy and as corny as that sounds."

"It's your choice."

"Hermione, please try to understand me," Draco pleaded, crouching down in front of her.

"I'm trying!" Hermione choked out, burying her face in her hands. "I'm really trying Draco, but I would have liked more time to get used to this idea!"

"Even I didn't think Dumbledore would send me on the mission so soon," Draco admitted, running a hand through his hair. He paused, then said, "I love you, Hermione, you know I do. But I can't let my feelings for you stop me from doing this. I can't let my feelings for one person get in the way of my part in the war against Voldemort."

"But couldn't we have discussed it before you volunteered?" she asked, wiping her wet cheeks.

"If we had, what would you have said?"

It took Hermione a while to reply, and when she did, her tears started anew. "I would have let you go."

"Oh, Hermione," Draco murmured, holding her in his arms. "It means a lot for me to hear you say that."

"It's a dangerous mission, Draco, but I know you'll succeed." Hermione clutched Draco tightly, sobbing onto his shoulder and encouraging him at the same time.

"I've been on dangerous missions before, but none as risky as this, I think," Draco replied, stroking her hair.

"And when you get back," Hermione continued, "you'll be famous. You'll be a legend, and you'll never be forgotten. You'll get your wish for immortality."

"Yeah. But it will mean nothing to me if you don't understand me."

"I'm trying to. You know how much I hate being left in the dark."

Draco hugged her a little bit tighter, and Hermione thought her bones would break. Still, she hugged him back just as hard. "I'd never leave you in the dark," he promised, kissing her forehead. "But this means so much to me."

"More than me?" Hermione asked, failing to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She hated the idea of Draco leaving her, and hated it even more knowing he was most likely going to die.

"Not more than you."

"Then why are you leaving me?"

"I'll come back."

"You won't."

"I will." Draco knew the chances of his return were slim, but he told himself that, no matter what the cost, he would return.

Hermione swallowed hard, and brushed tears from her eyes. "You can do it, Draco. I know you can do it, but..."

"But what?" he pressed. Just moments ago she had supported him, telling him he could do it, then Hermione had told him he wouldn't come back.

"But you might not want to come back for me, when you're immortal."

"Don't be silly," Draco whispered, kissing the top of her head again. "You know that won't happen, right? You know that."

Hermione nodded. Deep down, she really did know it. She was just looking for a reason for Draco to stay.

"Like I said, Hermione," Draco continued, "I love you. But I can't let love stop me from doing what I have to do. Honestly, I don't think Malfoys were made for love. And I'll carry the name Malfoy until I die. But I won't let anything stop me from getting back."

Hermione nodded again. "What do you think is in the prophecy?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I think it's important. After all, Voldemort had it put in one of the most secure areas."

"It might be a trap."

"I really don't think so."

"You're like Harry, in a way," Hermione said bitterly. "He's got a 'saving people' complex, he thinks that everybody needs to be saved, and that he can save them. You, on the other hand, are convinced that your opinion is right and that you're invincible."

Draco shook his head. "And how does that make me like Potter?"

"Well, you both believe too much in your own capabilities. You're both human."

Draco was silent for a minute, then he said, "I really do think that I need to go on this mission. Hermione, there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"I wasn't trying. Look," she said, her voice breaking as she pulled away from his embrace, "you need your rest."

"I'm not sleepy. I'll never get to sleep tonight," Draco protested, trying to pull her back into his arms.

"I'll give you a potion. Draco, you'll never survive if you're sleepy!"

"Tell me, would you feel like sleeping if you knew that you could die at any minute?" Draco demanded as she resisted his hug.

"No, but you might get weak and collapse!" Hermione stood up and Draco glared up at her. "And don't say I don't love you, because you know I'm doing this for precisely that reason." She went into her kitchen, her annoyance temporarily getting in the way of her tears.

Draco sat and waited for her, his irritation subsiding as he looked around her house, committing each place to memory, knowing he would need to remember everything about Hermione to get him through when times got tough. He couldn't deny that he was scared to death, but Potter had once quoted some Muggle and said that courage was fighting in the face of fear, or something like that. Draco hadn't been paying much attention, but that line somehow managed to bury itself in his subconscious.

Spotting a silver picture frame, Draco picked it up and stared at the picture inside. It was a picture of them. Draco was standing behind Hermione and had his arms around her, smiling at the camera, while she, oblivious to the photographer, had turned her head slightly to kiss him. It was a Muggle picture, but Draco loved it. It seemed to capture her action without allowing her to move, and he believed that allowing the picture to move would only ruin it.

Draco took out his wand and shrank the picture until it was about the size of his thumb. He slipped it into his pocket, not feeling the tiniest barb of guilt at his theft. _All the more reason to return it,_ he told himself.

Hermione returned a while later, bearing two vials of potion.

"That was quick," Draco commented, and moved to cover the place where the picture frame used to be.

She beamed at the praise, but tried to look modest. "Yes, well, it's just a simple potion."

"Why two vials, though?"

"You're not the only one who won't be able to sleep tonight. I was going to forego drinking the potion myself, but I realized I need my energy as well tomorrow."

"But what if I don't want to go to sleep? What if I just want to stay awake tonight?"

"Then I'll force-feed you this potion," she threatened.

"I'd rather stay awake with you," Draco implored, his heart thumping as he realized how much he didn't want to go.

"If you're to come back, you need to sleep tonight. And I won't have you die just because I let you stay awake with me. Besides, I'm going to sleep as well, so you'd have to stay awake alone."

Draco scowled and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest, knowing and hating that Hermione was right.

"But please," Hermione asked him, with such emotion in her voice that Draco turned to look at her, "don't go home tonight- this morning, I mean. Stay here. Just tonight. I don't want to sleep without you. I need to know you're still here. And when you wake up, don't just leave. Wake me up also so I can say goodbye."

"Of course I will," he assured her, leaning over and kissing her. "Don't cry again."

"I'm sure I look horrible by now."

Draco, choosing not to reply, kissed her again, and she kissed him back.

"Now, it's time to go to sleep." Hermione handed him his vial, and drank hers without hesitation. Draco considered dawdling, but decided against it, when he saw that Hermione's eyelids were already threatening to close. He drank his own potion, and felt sleep hit him like a sledgehammer almost instantly.

"Aren't you going to take a shower or something, to freshen up?" he asked her, taking her hand and leading her to her bedroom.

"A spell is okay. I'll save the shower for later, when I wake up. Merlin knows I'll need it by then."

Draco performed the charm on both of them, and kicked off his shoes before lying down on her bed. It was the first time he had ever allowed himself the liberty of stretching out on Hermione's bed- she was very old fashioned regarding her ideas of what is and what isn't appropriate, and Draco respected that, not doing anything to make her uncomfortable. It was only this time, this last time, that he couldn't care less what she thought. Hermione didn't make a fuss, since she was the one who had invited him, who needed him to sleep beside her.

She crawled under the covers and he slid his arms around her, pulling her closer. Their eyes were already closed, but they didn't need their vision to feel each other. Hermione fell asleep almost immediately, her head tucked under Draco's chin. He stayed awake a while longer, but found it impossible to fight Hermione's potion. Sighing, he kissed the top of her head and surrendered himself to sleep.

Hours later, Draco woke up due to the alarm clock he supposed Hermione had set before lying on the bed. He sleepily glared at the offending machine, and found he didn't, for the life of him, know how to turn it off.

"Hermione, wake up," he nudged her, wondering how she could sleep through such a racket. "Wake up, and help me turn this blasted thing off."

Hermione reached up and grabbed the alarm clock, her eyes still tightly shut. Soon, the noise had stopped, and she sighed deeply, going back to sleep.

Draco wished he could do the same, but a glance at the now silent alarm clock told him he had to get ready for the mission. It was half past eight, and the plan was for Draco to be waltzing into Voldemort's headquarters by ten o'clock. Morning was the time when there were the least number of guards around the Dark Lord's domain, since the Dark Lord seemed to be convinced that attacks were most likely to occur at night.

The blond wizard stumbled out of bed and headed into the guest shower, since Hermione had turned such a deep shade of red the last time he had set foot in her bathroom, and he didn't want to cause her so much embarrassment again. Draco frowned as he showered, wondering what she was hiding. Hermione was really old fashioned, preferring to wait until she was married before going to bed with Draco. He didn't normally mind, although he wondered what there was to be ashamed of. They knew practically everything about each other. She really was so innocent, he decided.

By the time Draco stepped out of the guest bathroom, he already knew the first thing he would do when he got back. _The first thing _after_ having a long shower_, he reminded himself. Since he was hopeless in the kitchen, Draco went up to Hermione's bedroom and shook her awake.

"Hey, Hermione," he whispered, shaking her gently to wake her. He knew he should have been feeling more worried about his task, but seeing Hermione so peaceful made him feel happy.

"Happy birthday, Draco," she murmured, her eyes firmly shut. Draco knew she wasn't asleep, because she smiled at him, and it really _was_ his birthday. Even he had forgotten about it in the midst of all the excitement of the day before.

"Thank you. I'm kind of hungry, though."

"Let me shower and I'll fix you breakfast. How you can stand to be so wide awake after drinking that potion I'll never understand," she grumbled to herself as she gathered her clothes. Draco sat on her bed.

"Facing a risky mission _does_ do strange things to one's sleeping habits," he agreed, nodding his head knowingly. Hermione rolled her eyes and a moment later a t-shirt smacked into Draco's face.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Don't push me this early in the morning," Hermione told him, disappearing into her bathroom. Draco sighed. If he ever married her, would every morning be like this one?

At quarter to ten, both of them had finished the small meal Hermione had prepared. They stared at each other from across the small table, an uncomfortable silence descending on them.

"I've got your present here," Hermione said, smiling awkwardly. "It's nothing much- I had no idea you'd be leaving."

"A present," Draco said as he rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. "Bring it on."

Hermione passed him a present beautifully wrapped in dark green paper. "As I said, I didn't know you'd be leaving."

"It's all right, a present is still a present," he assured her, ripping out the wrapping paper. The present turned out to be a shirt, a dark grey shirt with a collar. The shade of grey brought out the color of Draco's eyes. "I like it," he announced.

Hermione smiled. "I knew you would."

"Now, where can I put it while I'm on the mission?"

"You can leave it here, since you're coming back anyway."

Draco grinned and handed the shirt back to Hermione. "I'll collect it as soon as I can."

Another uncomfortable silence ensued.

"You'd better go," Hermione said finally, standing up and bringing her plate to the sink, hiding her tears. She wanted to be strong for Draco, but was worried she wasn't strong enough.

"Potter's been on missions almost as risky as this," Draco remarked, also staring anywhere but at her. "Have you always been like this before each one?"

"I don't ask him to spend the night with me," Hermione retorted, "but I do get really emotional."

Draco pushed back his chair and walked over to her. She turned around and they embraced each other.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I know," he murmured, "and you may not think that makes a difference, but believe me, it makes all the difference in the world."

"Why do you have to leave me?"

"I'll come back."

"But why?"

"I'm nothing special Hermione, you know that. But I want to be special. And I will be. They'll never forget me. I'll do something that will win us this war."

"You'll do something incredibly stupid. You can probably still back out of this."

"Your faith is, just like always, touching."

"I didn't mean it like that," Hermione protested. "I just love you so much, I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." He exhaled loudly. "I won't propose to you before I go," he told her regretfully, "because I know you'll say yes and I don't want you to be tied down in case I- in case it takes me longer than planned to return. That way you can find someone else to be happy with. I've thought about it though, more than you can imagine."

"If you don't come back, you understand that I will hate you for the rest of my life?"

"I understand. Believe me, I if don't come back, I'll hate myself as well." Draco wiped away the tears from her eyes. "I'll come back. I'll find a way. I love you too."

"You have a strange way of showing it." Hermione kissed him fiercely, the way he liked being kissed, and stepped back. "You'd better go before I break down right in front of you."

Draco didn't listen to her, and instead stepped towards her. He kissed her gently and tenderly, the way he knew she preferred to be kissed. When he stepped back, she saw that he was crying. It shocked her so much to see him cry, that she was speechless.

"Goodbye," he said, waving a little before Disapparating.

"Goodbye," she whispered to no one in particular. "And happy birthday."

Draco Malfoy was never seen again.

o

Immortality by Celine Dion

So this is who I am

And this all I know

And I must choose to live

For all that I can give

The spark that makes the power grow

And I will stand for my dream if I can

Symbol of my faith in who I am

But you are my only

And I must follow out the road that lies ahead

I won't let my heart control my head

But you are my only

We don't say goodbye

We don't say goodbye

And I know what I've got to do

Immortality

I make my journey through eternity

I keep the memory of you and me inside

Fulfill your destiny

It's there within the child

My star will never end

My faith is on the wind

The King of Heart's, the Jokers Wild

We don't say goodbye

We don't say goodbye

I'll make them all remember me

Coz I have found a dream that must come true

Every ounce of me must see it through

But you are my only

I'm sorry I don't have a role for love to play

Hand over my heart I'll find my way

I will make them give to me

Immortality

There is a vision and a fight in me

I keep the memory of you and me inside

We don't say goodbye

We don't say goodbye

With all my love for you

And what else we may do

We don't say goodbye


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: We don't own Harry Potter and co.

**Authors' Notes:** 'Never seen again' is such a strong phrase, when all that's meant is 'two and a half years', hehe. Seriously, we considered leaving Immortality as a one-shot- but since we ourselves don't like angst, we wrote another, happier chapter soon after. We never posted it because we were always kind of worried that it would ruin the first chapter, by forcing something angsty to be happy… but anyway, here's the second (and last) chapter. So if you don't like this chapter, pretend it doesn't exist, hehe. Sorry it's taken so long for us to post this. This was written in 2004, before HBP and DH came out. Also, back then, we only knew Hermione's birthday, not Draco's. Ages ago, we know!

Dedicated to all the people who asked for a continuation!

It had been two and a half years. Two and a half dark and confusing years since Draco Malfoy had left Hermione Granger. He hadn't left her in the way men usually leave their girls; it was just that he hadn't come back.

Two and a half years had passed since Draco had gone off on an almost suicidal mission. Two and a half years had passed since Hermione had seen or heard from him. She had known right from the instant she had heard of the risk that it was foolish to wait for his return. It was simply stupid for a single man to try breaking into a top security area, especially when it was guarded by Dementors and Death Eaters. And it was all for a prophecy. A prophecy that the Order could have done without.

In truth, Draco had been somewhat successful. He had managed to send the Order a copy of the aforementioned prophecy, but he hadn't returned. Some thought he was captured and killed, while some fools had started a rumour that he had decided not to return to Hermione. Hermione preferred to believe the former, because along with the copy of the prophecy, Draco had added a note with some information he had gathered while on his last mission. At the end of his note he had hastily penned 'tell Hermione I love her'.

It was with a heavy heart that Hermione made her way to her office on a morning around two and a half years after she had last seen Draco. Although she had learned to accept the fact that he was gone, she still loved him and on many days she was still bothered by his absence. The increasing number of deaths that had plagued the Order exacerbated her sadness. Her bad mood only increased when she saw the amount of paperwork she had to sort through.

A knock on her door snapped her out of her daydreams. "Come in," she called, not taking her eyes off the letter she was supposed to be reading. When no one entered, she said it again, her already thin patience stretched to its limit.

Still no one entered, and Hermione put down the letter as she stood up. She wanted no disturbances unless they were important, and she would tell her secretary so.

But the lecture Hermione had planned to give her secretary was entirely forgotten when she saw Draco Malfoy standing in front of her when she opened her door. His hand was half raised, frozen in a position as if he were just going to open her door. His hair was long and dirty, and he was incredibly thin. Numerous scars, cuts and bruises decorated his face and all the other parts of his body that Hermione could see. Then their eyes met, and Hermione sucked in her breath. Gone was the spark that filled Draco's eyes and gave life to them. His grey eyes were no longer sharp and cold, nor were they lively and loving- they looked dead and emotionless. It was the look that Hermione had seen occasionally in Hagrid's eyes, and the look she recognized from Sirius' eyes when he had still lived.

While Hermione had been staring at and assessing Draco, he had been doing the same to her. It was only when he staggered backwards that the two of them came to their senses.

"Thanks," Draco muttered to Harry and Ron, who had been standing behind him and who had caught him before he fell.

"Can we bring him in, Hermione?" Harry asked, still supporting Draco. "He's still very weak, and we would have brought him straight to St. Mungos, but he insisted."

Wordlessly, Hermione nodded. She cleared her throat a few times before she found her voice. "When did he get here?" she asked Ron.

"Just a few minutes ago. Dumbledore debriefed him and Harry and I heard his story."

"Why didn't you call me?"

Ron shrugged. "He wanted to tell you alone. So I guess Harry and I will leave now. We'll be right outside if you need us, all right?"

Hermione nodded. "All right."

Harry and Ron left, and Hermione made sure the door was locked before facing Draco again. He was sitting on her couch, listening to their conversation.

"Hi," he said, carefully watching her reaction.

"Hi," she returned, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of him. They gazed at each other for a few moments, and Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. She reached out and touched Draco's face, as if to make sure that he was real, that he was sitting in front of her. Gently, she traced one of the scars that ran down his cheek, then pushed his long hair away from his face. Draco cupped her cheek before pulling her towards him. Their lips met in a feverish kiss, but Hermione pulled back too soon for his liking.

"I'm sorry, Draco," she apologized, "it's just that I'm so confused. You've been missing for years, and suddenly you're here, and it's like nothing has changed!"

Draco looked frightened at her words. "You- you haven't given up on me, have you? You don't have another man, do you? Oh, God, you're getting married, aren't you?" He looked ready to pass out.

"No, no," Hermione hastened to assure him, "no. I haven't given up on you, I haven't been on a date since you left, and I'm not engaged to anyone. It's just that it's too much for me at the moment. Can you tell me, please, what happened? No one's told me anything yet, and I'm so confused and..." She trailed off, lest she give way to the tears that were threatening to fall.

"All right," Draco consented, and Hermione thought he smiled at the knowledge that she was still his. He took her hand, and already his eyes seemed to lose some of their deadness. "The plan went pretty well and I was able to get into the vault. The guards asked me what I was doing, I said I was sent by Voldemort to check the security system. They accepted my answer. I got to the chamber, but there were Dementors outside it. I told them that I was sent by the Dark Lord. I suppose they sensed my fear and slight hesitation, but they must have taken it as fear of them instead of fear of failure. I wasn't afraid of them, but their presence was disturbing. I made a copy of the prophecy without bothering to find out what it was about because I was in such a hurry, and I sent it to Dumbledore, along with some information that I thought could help. Did he tell you?"

"That you love me?"

Draco nodded.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Yes, he did. And I was able to read the prophecy. "

"What was in it? Did it help us at all in the war?"

"No. Not really. It was more of the information that you sent that enabled us to keep fighting."

"What was in it?" Draco pressed. "The prophecy, I mean."

"I kept it. I'll show you later. Please go on."

He swallowed and continued. "I was halfway towards the exit when I met a Death Eater. He asked me what I was doing, so I made up some story, but he didn't seem to believe me so I Stunned him. I couldn't see his face because of his hood, but I have a feeling it was Goyle. Anyway, I went on my way, but five more Death Eaters came. I couldn't Stun all of them. It was as if they knew I was coming! So I Stunned who I could, and then I ran to the exit. But I didn't make it out.

"They took me to Voldemort. They could have killed me, but they decided not to. They tortured me for information. I didn't give them any. I thought they would kill me, but my father convinced them to use me as bait in another plan. I think he was secretly hoping that I'd change my mind and pledge allegiance to the Dark Lord. But the torturing didn't stop."

"So that's how you got all these cuts and bruises?" Hermione asked gently, her hand tightening around his.

"Yes. But the torture wasn't just physical. It was emotional and mental. There was a Dementor outside my door every day and night. I was reliving the moment I got my Dark Mark, the beatings I received as a kid, the times I failed in Quidditch, and many other memories." His voice faltered. "I think the thing that got me through was this."

Draco dug into his robe pockets and pulled out a miniature picture. "They didn't find this. Even I forgot I had it for most of the time."

Hermione took it from him. It was a picture of them together, one that used to belong in her living room. "I remember this. I figured you had it."

"I took it before I left. And I'm glad I did. It pulled me through, gave me something to remember, something other than all my failures in life." Draco took the picture back and fingered it fondly. He was still holding her other hand in his. "Finite Incantatem," he waved a wand that Hermione noticed immediately wasn't his own, and the picture returned to its original size.

"How did you escape?" Hermione asked. "You did escape, right? They didn't let you go?"

"I escaped. Remember how we were learning to become animagi? Have you been able to do it?"

"Yes- I learned two days after you left."

"That was fast," he smiled softly. "What are you?"

"An owl. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"I was in a sort of trance for most of the torture. It must have been the Dementors. On most days I forgot everything- you, the Order, the fact that I was alive, even. All I knew were the horrible moments I had experienced. My father would visit me sometimes. He was the one who convinced the Dark Lord not to kill me, as I've said before, and I owed him my life. I do think that, deep down, he loved me too, even though he never really said it." Draco cleared his throat. "Anyway, I told my father I'd never join the dark side, but I couldn't give him a reason. All I knew was that I shouldn't. I forgot about you, as I've said."

He looked guiltily at Hermione, but she just patted his arm. "Go on."

"I found the picture in my robes," he continued. Hermione glanced down at his robes and realized that they were the same clothes he had been wearing when he said goodbye two and a half years ago. "And I remembered you, not as the bookworm I used to insult, but as the woman I loved, and who loved me back. So it cleared my head. I remembered what you told me about Sirius, how he had escaped Azkaban. So I resolved to become an animagus."

"Smart thinking."

"It took me so long to learn. Remember that book you gave me before, when you insisted that I learn the theory before learning to change?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't read it."

"I somehow figured you wouldn't."

"I did skim through it, though, you know, flipped to the back of the book and all, and luckily, you talked about it so often with Potter and Weasley that some of it stuck in my memory. So I filled in the gaps with experimentation."

"You're pretty good if you could do that," Hermione felt a rush of pride for her boyfriend. "I'm _almost_ impressed."

"I was hoping to do just that," he teased, his grin looking almost too big for his haggard face. "Anyway, I became a hawk, to my great fortune. I had to learn how to fly first, as I suppose you did as well."

"Yeah, Harry and Ron had to keep an eye out for me, because I fell a lot. But when I learned, I was always tempted to fly away," she added, "and find you."

Draco looked out of her window. "You must have been out of your mind with worry, while I wasn't even thinking of you."

"It wasn't your fault," Hermione told him, although she couldn't help feeling that way as well.

"Anyway, I didn't know I couldn't fly. As soon as I managed to change, I made my move. I don't remember quite how I did it- when a Death Eater came to give me my food, I stole his wand and managed to escape the Dementor. I used the wand to destroy the spells keeping me in, and made my escape. But on my way out, I couldn't resist overhearing some information, information that will prove very useful to the outcome of this war."

"You managed to escape _and _glean more information?"

"Impressed yet?"

"Nearly."

"Well, I already told Dumbledore what I heard. To cut the story short, I took to the air with the wand in my beak, but as I said, I couldn't fly."

"You must have looked pretty stupid," Hermione said, and she gave a small laugh.

"That's an understatement. But I managed to learn in about three seconds, because, after all, desperate times call for desperate measures. And I had to kill some Death Eaters to escape- my plan wasn't as flawless as I'd wished. I killed my father. This is his wand." Draco waited for her reaction.

"I figured you did," she nodded, gripping his hand even tighter. "You used past tense when you spoke about him. Go on with your story."

"I was really weak, and, being new to flying and all, I had to keep taking rests because my wings weren't that strong. That's why it's taken me three days to get here. And I'm glad I made it in time."

"In time for what?"

"In time for the attack tomorrow night. It's a chance for all of us to be immortal."

"Why, don't you think you've done enough?"

"As long as I can keep going, I'm going to fight those who tortured me mercilessly." Draco stopped for a bit, and then looked Hermione straight in the eye. "What do you think of my story? Does it clear everything up a little?"

"It's certainly helped," Hermione admitted. She extracted her hand from Draco's so she could wrap her arms around him properly. "I'm so glad you're safe. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." He got off the chair and knelt in front of her, wincing as his bruises came into contact with the floor. Hermione looked at him in concern, but she knew what he was going to ask and waited breathlessly for his question. "So now, before anything else, Hermione, will you marry me?" He shifted nervously, not so much worried that she'd reject him, but that she'd want to wait. Draco certainly didn't want to wait- he had spent two and a half years without her, and all that he wanted was to be with her.

Hermione was elated. A small part of her knew that the war was still ongoing, and that either of them could lose their lives at almost any moment. Still, she knew she loved Draco and she wanted to marry him. Without another thought, she simply said, "yes."

Draco didn't have a ring hidden in his shabby robes, so a kiss sufficed. "Happy birthday, Hermione," he murmured, as he hoisted himself back on the couch, not letting go of her.

"You remembered!"

"I don't forget. As soon as Dumbledore told me it was September 19 I thought of you. But I think I got the best gift today."

"That shows how much you underestimate your value." They sat contentedly with their arms around each other, and soon Hermione realized that Draco had fallen asleep. She decided that it was time that he got to the hospital, so she stood up to enlist Harry and Ron's help. Her movements woke Draco.

"Hermione, you never told me what was inside the prophecy," he said, yawning widely.

"I'll show you." Hermione went to her desk and pulled the prophecy out from a hidden drawer. "Read it."

Draco took the scroll (the prophecy hadn't been recorded in orbs unlike those at the Ministry) from Hermione and proceeded to do as she had ordered. Halfway through, he knew what it was about.

"Me," Draco said blandly. "It's about me."

o o o

"Hermione, are you ready?" Draco whispered, crouched in the bushes outside Hogwarts. The Dark Lord wanted to overthrow Hogwarts before anything else, to overthrow Dumbledore before anyone else, to kill Mudbloods before anything else. Whereas the Order had been expecting attacks on the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort had been planning an attack on the school. It was a good thing they had Draco on their side.

Hermione nodded. "Are you?" She knew he was still tired from his latest mission, but he absolutely refused to sit this battle out.

Draco smiled at her, a cold look coming into his eyes. "Always ready for revenge."

Slightly scared, Hermione tentatively touched his hand. "Draco, don't do anything foolish."

His eyes softened, and he ran his thumb over the knuckles of her hand. "I won't. Let's stick close together, okay?" _So that I can keep an eye on you_, he added to himself.

She nodded, relieved. She wanted to keep an eye on him too.

The plan was for the castle to be defended from the inside by a group of teachers, and several students of age who had decided to help in the battle. Hopefully the Death Eaters would be pushed back to the outside, where another group of people would be waiting to trap them. Draco and Hermione were part of the outer squadron, and were waiting under the cover of the Forbidden Forest.

"Look," Hermione breathed, staring at the castle.

Red sparks were being sent up. The battle had begun.

She looked at Draco, and he nodded at her. Swiftly changing into her animagus form, Hermione flapped her wings and took flight. Draco stayed behind, still too weak to fly.

A twig snapped behind him. Quickly, Draco slipped on the hood of the invisibility cloak he and Hermione had been sharing. He was now completely covered. He recognized two Death Eaters from his captivity. The cold-blooded look came into his eyes, and he almost did the Cruciatus Curse. Almost, but didn't.

_Don't do anything foolish_, she had said. He wouldn't. He would silence them before doing the Cruciatus Curse. That would prevent the others from finding out. And yet the throes of the men could alert the others who could be stationed nearby. Draco sat still, thinking.

"What's that?" one of the men asked, looking in Draco's direction.

Draco stiffened, and swore under his breath. He was completely covered, but the condensation coming from his mouth was giving his position away. He carefully aimed his wand. "Avada Kedavra," he hissed twice, and moments later, the two men lay dead, not three feet away from him.

Hermione returned just then. She shot him a questioning glance. "Two Death Eaters, two Killing Curses. Nothing too foolish."

She grinned slightly, knowing he was referring to her earlier words. "The Death Eaters have been attempting to break through the windows, but luckily the spells are holding up. I couldn't see much of the battle going on inside, but there are people fighting on the steps, so I hope they're being pushed out here. I couldn't find Harry though," Hermione said, chewing her bottom lip worriedly. "Ron is with the other Weasleys, they're all still all right, thank goodness, but then again, the fight just started-"

"Shh, Hermione, Harry's fine," Draco assured her. "Believe me, if anything happened to him, you'd know. You'd feel it. Now we mustn't talk that much, apparently the condensation from our breath can give us away."

Hermione stared at him, then slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh, how could I be so stupid?" she pulled out her wand, and performed a rather complex looking charm on both of them. "That should stop our breath from condensing," she said, joining him under the invisibility cloak.

"There could be more Death Eaters about," Draco said. "We need to be really careful. Save our energies."

She just nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Who knew how long this battle would take? Not even Lord Voldemort himself.

Half an hour later, they were both getting restless. Dumbledore was in the castle, what was taking so long? They had hoped that the battle would be quick and easy. And though only thirty minutes had passed, to them it felt like several days.

"Maybe they're getting weaker," Hermione worried. "We shouldn't have let those seventh years join, Draco, they're only seventeen!"

"You would have done the same thing when you were seventeen."

"Yes, but-"

"Just because no one got OWLs or NEWTs as high as yours since you took it doesn't mean they're any worse at Defense Against the Dark Arts." Draco tried to speak calmly, but the tension was clearly getting to both of them. Hermione's worrying was starting to irritate Draco, whereas his determination to _not_ worry was aggravating Hermione.

"And just because you spent two and a half years in captivity doesn't mean you know everything about them," she snapped back. "I'm going off." Without waiting for an answer, she changed form and flew off.

Draco swore under his breath, wishing he could fly with her. Keep her safe. Anything. Although her pride wouldn't let her deny it, Draco knew she wasn't that strong. It would kill her if Harry or Ron got hurt. And Draco wasn't the only one who would do stupid things for revenge.

Ten minutes later, it was Draco who was on the edge with worry. Hermione hadn't returned. She had never stayed away for so long before. Granted, she was mad at him, but still, that gave her no right to leave. Where was she?

Grinding his teeth, he stayed where he was, frantically searching the sky, the ground, any place he might find her. He was so preoccupied with finding her that he didn't notice the three Death Eaters walking behind him. If he hadn't been in the invisibility cloak, he would have been dead already.

As it was, the Death Eaters were right behind him when he realized they were there. Quickly, silently, he stepped to the side, and took careful aim with his wand. Then he stopped. One of them was holding a bird. Hermione.

Unlike most other birds who would have flapped and squawked and tried to escape, Hermione was holding perfectly still. She knew they would kill her if she tried to fly away. If she changed into her human form, at least one of them would kill her before she could kill all three. Stupid, really, how she had flown in too close, trying to hear their conversation. She mentally shook her head. Why they hadn't killed her yet, she had no idea, but she supposed they knew she was an animagus and was taking her to their leader. That gave her time to think of a plan.

Draco took deep breaths, trying to think. The Killing Curse, he could do that. But what then? That would kill one of them. He could probably kill two of them before the third found him, since he was under an invisibility cloak. If he killed the one holding Hermione first… then Hermione could help him. But what if they killed Hermione? Draco shook his head. It was dangerous, he knew. But they were in a war. Everything was dangerous. Once again, he raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra."

The Death Eater holding Hermione dropped to the ground, and Draco did the same, crouching. Hermione took off again, heading in the direction opposite from where Draco was. Separate them, he knew. Hermione's plan dimly registered in his head. But he had the upper hand. He used the Killing Curse again, twice. But not before the third Death Eater sent up red sparks. Then he dropped dead.

Quickly, Draco left their hiding place, trying to leave before any other Death Eaters came. He tried to follow the path Hermione had taken, and briefly considered shifting form, but he knew it would be foolish. He was too weak.

The next thing he knew, there was a Death Eater standing in front of him. Wasting no time, Draco killed him and walked on. He didn't know where he was going, and was worried he would get hopelessly lost in the forest. But he had stopped thinking already. He needed to find Hermione.

Purple sparks soared into the sky near the castle. The Death Eaters had been pushed out. It was the outer squadron's turn. Draco hesitated, then ran down to do his duty.

The first person he saw when he reached the battlefield was Ron. "Weasley," he gasped, "I thought you were supposed to be resting now, your job is done."

Ron looked around, looking slightly afraid, and more tired than Draco had ever seen him. Draco realized he hadn't yet removed his invisibility cloak.

"I'm here," he said, throwing back the hood. Ron looked at him, then looked around.

"Where's Hermione?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know." It hurt him to say the words, but he tried not to show it. Ron didn't need to know.

The redhead looked furious. "Malfoy! Where's Hermione? You were supposed to be together!"

Draco looked just as furious. "I- she was the one who left! I tried to convince her not to go, but when has she ever listened to me? She was getting worried because _you_ took so long!"

"Oh, yeah, we really meant to make the battle last for quite a bit, we wanted to get tired and weak," Ron said, dangerously sarcastic. "Look, Malfoy, I don't care what-"

He was cut off by an explosion a few yards away. The two men glared at each other. "This isn't over, Malfoy," Ron said as he ran off to join the thick of the battle. Draco stared at his back for a few seconds. Weasley always knew how to be annoying.

Shaking his head, Draco ran off in another direction, trying not to think about how tired he was getting. As he ran, he put up the hood of his invisibility cloak. _Where's Hermione?_ he thought desperately.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Draco swore and stared at the spot he had been standing in just a second ago. Some one could see him, but why couldn't he see that person?

"Avada-"

Abandoning all pretense, Draco transformed into a hawk and fled for the safety of the trees.

It didn't take long before Draco's clumsy flapping got him stuck in the branches of a tree. He considered transforming back into a human, but he had no idea whether the branches could support him or not, and whether there were any Death Eaters nearby to see him.

He tried to free himself, but while a hawk is graceful in the air, it isn't as stealthy when stuck in a tree. Leaves and twigs shook as Draco tried to maneuver his way out. Every few seconds he'd stop to make sure that no one was approaching.

To Draco it felt as though he'd been stuck there for hours. It felt just like it had before, when the Death Eaters had trapped him. He was unable to do anything, unable to help, to fight, to heal, even to find Hermione. Where the bloody hell was she?

Like an answer to his mental question, he heard a rather familiar voice muttering some rather unfamiliar swear words. Twisting his tiny head as far as he could go, Draco breathed a sigh of relief and flapped as hard as he could, trying to free himself, to get to Hermione and yell at her for leaving him. All he managed to do, however, was attract Hermione's attention- she stopped in her tracks and looked up at the tree.

"Who's there?" she called, her wand pointed upward. Draco froze. "Show yourself or I'll kill you!"

Draco snorted, or tried to. It was different, being a hawk. Hermione would never kill someone, she preferred to stun the person. She was already doing something wrong that he would be able to rub in her face later on- she asked questions before firing. If he really had been a Death Eater, Hermione would have been dead already.

As it was, Hermione looked like a nice soft place to land from where Draco was. Gathering his strength, he transformed back into a human.

The branches of the tree snapped, unable to take the weight of a human, even one as thin as Draco. He belatedly realized that Hermione might not be such a soft thing to land on, and that she might even hate him for it later. He tried to grab hold of some of the sturdier branches, but they broke easily, and he realized just how bad an idea it really had been.

Hermione gasped as she realized that something heavy was falling, and hurriedly stepped out from under the tree. She had barely gotten out in time when Draco crashed to the ground right where she had been standing.

"Draco!" she hurriedly knelt by him, pushing him onto his back. "Are you all right?"

"You were supposed to catch me," he groaned, tenderly touching his head, seeing stars.

"Do I suddenly look like a pillow? What a stupid idea, Draco."

"I realize that, now."

"Where does it hurt?" Hermione asked, gripping her wand tightly. "You might have internal bleeding."

"I doubt it. The ground was kind enough to catch my fall. Besides, it wasn't that high. My head hurts, my right arm hurts. Actually, my left arm hurts too, and so do both my legs, and my back, my ribs…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and performed a spell instead to determine the damage herself. Upon finding that nothing serious or life threatening had harmed Draco, she used another simple spell to decrease the pain and stood up, grasping his hands to pull him up with her.

He groaned, but sat up. "Where to now? Back to the school?"

She nodded. "That's the place we're supposed to be."

"Oh no," a low voice hissed. "I like you fine right here."

Both Draco and Hermione spun around, and saw a Death Eater standing about three feet from them, his invisibility cloak discarded on the ground. A movement to their left made the pair look, and they saw another Death Eater making his way towards them. Two more joined them, and the two members of the Order were completely surrounded.

Heart beating madly, Hermione covertly touched the tip of her wand to Draco's shoulder, since he was still sitting down. She breathed a spell, and prayed the Death Eaters wouldn't notice.

_What will we do?_ She asked him in her mind, the spell allowing her thoughts to pass through her wand and into him.

_We can't kill them all,_ he replied, the back of his mind teeming with ideas that seemed hopeless.

_You have the invisibility cloak? We could change into birds and fly off under the cloak. Risky and dangerous, but our best chance._

_How can we fly under the cloak?_

Hermione eyed the Death Eaters warily, watching them talk about what should be done. They recognized Hermione as a valuable part of the Order, and Draco as their ex-prisoner and son of one of their kind. Kill them, or take them to the Dark Lord, who was still engaged in fighting Potter?

_Bewitch the cloak to make it lighter, _Hermione suggested to Draco.

_If we're going to do that, then you might as well fly under the cloak, and carry me. I can make myself light, and then you can carry me and I'll kill them from the air, they won't see me anyway._

_But you're more of a target for the Curses I'm sure they'll throw blindly, because you'll be bigger!_

_A chance I have to take._

Draco silently performed the spell on the cloak, and slowly picked it up, trying not to attract attention. The Death Eaters seemed to be reaching a decision already, but Draco didn't want to wait to find out what it was.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A Death Eater yelled, bringing up his wand.

Draco moved as quick as a flash, throwing the cloak over Hermione and making himself feather light, gripping hold of one of her legs as she transformed. Smoke poured out of his wand to cover them, acting as a thin screen as Hermione took to the air.

Unfortunately the smoke obscured Draco's vision as much as it did the Death Eaters. Gritting his teeth, Draco blew the smoke away with his wand, and aimed and fired at the first Death Eater he saw. He finished off the other two, but couldn't find the last.

"I can't find the last guy," he called to Hermione.

"Hoot," Hermione replied, concentrating on getting away from that place.

"What?" Draco asked, then realized that Hermione was currently an owl. What else could he expect her to say?

It was a strange sensation, to be as weightless as a feather. The wind pushed at him and blew him around, and Draco felt that he would fall at any moment. He held on as tightly as he dared without breaking Hermione's leg, and closed his eyes, concentrating on not falling.

A few seconds later, Draco felt Hermione veer sharply to the left, and opened his eyes to see the ground fast approaching. Since they weren't flying very high and Hermione obviously wanted to land, Draco let go of Hermione and landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

"Why did we-?" he started to ask, but Hermione, once again in her human form, brushed past him, moving quickly. And then Draco saw where she was headed.

Not five feet from them lay Harry Potter, sprawled on the ground, blood trickling from various wounds. Draco grabbed Hermione's arm. "It might be a trap," he hissed.

Hermione glared at him venomously. Her face, however, was noticeably white, and her eyes showed fear. "Let me go," she ordered, her patience with the world at an end. She knew what it would mean for her and her kind if Harry was… if he had… if Voldemort had won.

She wrenched her arm out of Draco's grip and the next moment was at Harry's side, checking his pulse, his breathing, his wounds. "He's still alive," she whispered, overjoyed. "Alive, but unconscious."

Draco, in the meantime, had picked up Harry's wand. "Priori Incantatem," he murmured. A ghostly shadow of Voldemort appeared from the tip. Draco and Hermione stared at each other.

"We've won," Hermione said, awed.

"I don't believe, it, Pothead's done it!" Draco looked just as amazed. "Better send up the distress signal, though, and the victory sign," he reminded her, feeling too drained to do it himself.

Hermione nodded, and sent up a shower of sparks. "Now we just have to-" she stopped in mid sentence, causing Draco to spin around in alarm. A Death Eater stared back at him, just as surprised, until Hermione's Stunning Spell caught him right in the chest and he dropped to the ground.

Another Death Eater appeared from behind a tree, and another, then another. Draco swore under his breath, while Hermione set up the strongest Shield she could muster.

"Voldemort must have called them to him when he knew Potter would kill him," Draco muttered, as he and Hermione shifted so that they were back to back. "Took them long to find the exact place because he was dead already, probably." Draco was thankful that Dumbledore had found a way to remove his Dark Mark before the battle. He had wanted to go into the last fight as neither a spy nor a Death Eater, but a member of the Order, one who was determined to do his job and fight to the end.

"I wish Dumbledore and the others would get here soon," Hermione said in reply, and aimed her first spell at a Death Eater.

Reminding himself to stick to simple spells, Draco Summoned the wand of the closest Death Eater and incapacitated him with a Tickling Charm. It seemed that the Death Eater too had run out of strength, because even his laughs sounded tired. The others appeared to lack the strength it took to perform the Killing Curse. Draco treated the next two men the same way he had the first, but the third was alert enough to keep his grip on his wand.

"Reducto!" he yelled at Draco.

The younger man put his wand up quickly. "Protego!" The spell tried to destroy his shield, but Draco fought back, holding his wand with both hands, shaking sweat out of his eyes.

It took Draco a few moments to hear the loud roaring that sounded in his ears, but the next moment, his shield shattered, green sparks flying. He dodged the next spell from the Death Eater just in time, and saw Hermione battling with two more. He tried to call her, but, his concentration broken, the Death Eater he was battling with got his wand.

The roaring in his ears only got louder, and the edges of his vision dimmed as Draco bent to pick up a rock, a stick, anything he could fight with, now battling against nausea as well.

The world lurched as Draco tried to straighten up, but the young man was so tired that he collapsed on all fours, the longing to sleep so intense that it was almost a relief to Draco when the red Cruciatus Curse hit him on the shoulder and he thankfully closed his eyes, beyond feeling or caring…

Draco rolled over onto his side then jerked back, heart pounding. Where was he? Last he remembered, he was on the battlefield, protecting Hogwarts. Now, he appeared to be on a bed, and how he got there, he had no clue. He sat up, and realized that the bed was much larger than expected, and that he hadn't been about to fall after all. His head ached, and his eyes had difficulty adjusting to the darkness.

"Draco?" a hesitant voice asked, sounding loud in the silence. He jumped, unaware that there was anyone with him.

"Hermione!" he said, relieved, when he finally found her. She was on a bed in the farther side of the room, staring at him, wild hair even messier than usual.

She practically ran into his arms, burying her head in his shoulder. "Oh Merlin, Draco, I thought I had lost you again," she whispered, tears running unchecked down her cheeks. "Harry's been awake since three days ago, what took you so long? The Healers said if you didn't wake up in another seventy six hours they would have to do extremely ancient magic on you, magic not used since the medieval wars."

Draco sat still, his arms around her, his brain striving to piece together what she was saying. Finally, he just had to ask, "what?"

Hermione laughed, tears still running down her face. "Sorry," she said, conjuring herself some tissue and pulling back from Draco to wipe her eyes. "It's just that I thought you'd never wake up again. I'll start from the beginning. You somehow took a Cruciatus Curse that was meant for Harry, and that, coupled with your weakness and depleted magic supply put you in a coma, although that's a Muggle term that the Healers don't like to use. Both you and Harry finished your powers, although he woke up three days ago and it's been sixteen days since you became comatose. You're in St. Mungo's, by the way- Draco, are you all right?"

He had closed his eyes briefly, but opened them again upon hearing the fear in her voice. "I'm sorry, love, but I think you'll have to repeat that later. My head hurts and I can't quite understand you."

Hermione withdrew from his arms immediately and slapped her forehead. "I don't know what I've been thinking, you had better lie back down and get some sleep. I'll just go and tell a Healer that you're finally awake, and I'll see you later this morning."

"Potion for my headache," Draco mumbled, his head buzzing as he lay back down.

She nodded, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before hurrying away.

When she returned five minutes later, Draco was once again fast asleep, a slight frown crossing his face, telling of uneasy dreams. The Healer placed the required potion on his bedside table and instructed Hermione to give it to him if he needed it, then left, promising to return later on in the day.

Hermione sank back down onto her own bed, feeling weak with relief that Draco had finally woken up. She knew it would be impractical and inconsiderate of her to owl Harry or Ron at two o'clock in the morning just to say that Draco had woken up for five minutes. Instead, she curled up around her pillow and cried, releasing the tears that she hadn't shed for sixteen days.

Later on that day, at almost eleven in the morning, Draco opened his eyes and blinked rapidly, his eyes unaccustomed to the bright light streaming in from the window. He sighed, feeling better than he had a few hours ago.

Hermione immediately appeared at his side, and grinned at seeing him awake. "Good morning," she greeted him. He could practically see the worry fade from her eyes.

"Good morning," Draco replied, trying to sit up, determined to banish her worry completely. His head started ringing again, however, so he gave up, flopping back onto the bed with a despairing groan.

Hermione pressed a hand onto his shoulder to prevent him from trying again. "Wait, let me get a Healer. When you become comatose, the Healers place spells on you to remove your body waste and sustain you for a time. They must be affecting you negatively now, since you're awake. If only those Healers would accept Muggle practices and just use tubes!" she muttered, smoothing back Draco's hair, then turning around and marching away, still ranting about stubborn Healers.

She and the Healer returned a little while later, and the Healer performed a check up on Draco before removing the spells on him, Hermione tutting all the while, knowing Draco was all right. The dizziness left him when the spells did, but the headache didn't, at least not until Hermione gave Draco the potion.

"Now that I can think clearly again," Draco said, sitting against the headboard of his bed, "tell me again what you were saying last night."

Hermione sat beside him, pushing him until they both fit comfortably. "Well, do you remember how we found Harry unconscious in the forest? And then the Death Eaters came? Well, one of them aimed the Cruciatus at Harry, presumably to kill him, and it would have since he was so drained. You were able to take the curse that was meant for him, and you saved his life- but you almost died in the process," Hermione said, grinning slightly. "And now you're called the Protector of the Boy Who Lived."

Draco snorted. "Can't they think of anything better to call me?" he asked, irked.

"That was the Quibbler," Hermione said, giggling. "Don't worry, most people just acknowledge you for saving Harry's life and leave it at that. If it makes you feel any better, Harry doesn't like it either." She paused, then patted his knee. "Thank you for saving him."

"Well," Draco said modestly, wondering whether to tell her the truth. Eventually he decided that she didn't need to know it had all been an accident- after all, he _had_ saved Potter anyway, whether or not he meant to. "Well, I knew you would have wanted me to."

He studied her, then reached out and pushed some hair behind her ear. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Hermione nodded, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to cry, in fact, I didn't cry- but seeing you awake again, it made me realize just how close-"

Draco placed a finger on her lips. "It's all right," he soothed. He shifted until they were both lying down, and Hermione rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He knew she hadn't been sleeping well, and he couldn't blame her.

"I love you, Draco."

"I love you too, Hermione," he whispered, stroking her head until she fell asleep.

Draco, as expected, tired of his fame, which still couldn't match that of the great Harry Potter. He had made a place for himself in history, and he wouldn't be easily forgotten. There were days when he basked in the attention given to him, and other times when he snapped at anyone who spoke to him.

"You know, Hermione," he said one afternoon soon after they were married, "I've thought of another way to make myself immortal."

Hermione didn't look up from her book. "Oh? I thought you had had enough of immortality."

"You'll like this idea, trust me. Have you ever read Shakespeare?"

"Of course."

"Well," Draco said, going up to her and pulling her to her feet, "you'll know what I'm talking about." His hands slid behind her back and he gave her a kiss so wicked that she couldn't help but understand what he meant.

"You mean," Hermione said, breathing heavily as Draco removed the book from her hand and dropped it onto the couch, "children?"

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her again. "What do you think?"

"I think- that's one kind of immortality I can live with." She kissed him passionately, and Draco picked her up, bringing her to the bedroom, locking the door as he went.


End file.
